Reports on Built Environment & Human Health

The built environment means the buildings, transportation systems, energy systems, open space, and agricultural lands that make up and support our communities.

The built environment means the buildings, transportation systems, energy systems, open space, and agricultural lands that make up and support our communities.

Street design, bike lanes and sidewalks; housing types and neighbourhood design; patterns of development; the provision of trees, parks, green space and recreational facilities; and the location of jobs, schools and services are all important components of the built environment.

The built environment can have a significant impact on human health because it can influence people’s levels of physical activity; the safety of travel; the quality of outdoor air; access to jobs and services; and opportunities for social interaction and recreation.

This describes how human health is affected by a broad suite of factors including: income, education, employment, food security, quality of housing, transportation services, and access to health services.

People who live on low incomes have a greater chance of developing a chronic disease or being injured. They are also more likely to live in neighbourhoods with greater exposure to traffic, and less access to healthy foods, parks, trails, green space, and good transit service; factors which increase their risk of illness and injury.

Transportation Priorities and Investment for a Healthy Toronto. This staff report to the Board of Health sets out population health and health equity criteria by which proposed revenue tools for new transit investments should be considered and provides input on how to prioritize transportation infrastructure investments in Toronto.

The Walkable City This report summarizes the findings of a Residential Preferences Survey that gauges public demand for walkable versus more auto-oriented neighbourhoods, and links this information with travel choices, physical activity levels and body weight. The larger study this report is based on is included below in the CLASP section. Additional documents include a 2-page backgrounder and a Toronto Walkability Map which rates the walkability of neighbourhoods across the City.

Healthy Toronto by Design describes how human health is affected by a broad suite of factors such as income, education, employment, food security, quality of housing, transportation services, and access to health services.

Artificial turf is increasingly being used in places like sports fields, child care facilities and streetscapes. Toronto Public Health completed a health impact assessment to better understand the potential implications of this increase in use.